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jamieveritt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
jennstrub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i had just finished paige’s new book “seven summers” when i decided to jump into this one. it had been on my tbr for over a year and when i looooved seven summers I decided to keep on theme with more of paige’s work. the plot of this one really intrigued me. from reading the back alone i kept wondering what the big secret anders was keeping. i wondered this for the majority of the book until the bomb finally dropped and my jaw was on the floor. however, over halfway through i considered putting the book down and not finishing it because no crazy “love” story had happened yet. as i understood it wasn’t a romance persay, i still expected something more that would keep me reading. nonetheless i persevered and was not disappointed, but because of the lull in the middle i’m only giving it 3.5 stars. paige’s writing is amazing nonetheless and i look forward to reading and enjoying more of her work!
ccassidy98's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, and Alcoholism
painandpages's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
drishti_loves_stories's review against another edition
Very slow... nothing is happening
scottishlindsay's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allenfarm's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Only Love Can Hurt Like This touches on some really heavy topics without any TWs:
Depression
Alcoholism
Possibility of Suicide
Parental rejection
Cheating
Blended Families
Parental alienation
Morally Grey Choices
Wren is preoccupied with getting over her breakup with Scott by immediately latching on to Anders, the next unavailable male she meets. Anders gives her very little in the way of encouragement, and with few words spoken she is all in. When the twist happens, my first though was that the author had run out of reasons to keep them apart and needed to throw in this very specific type of unnecessary drama, which was not handled well at all. This actually took a personal turn because I have witnessed Anders "loss" in real life within my own family, and I saw first hand how a spouse should be treated in this situation. The rules of the marriage change, but that doesn't mean the love or obligation does. Kelly, in her pain, was a real piece of work- putting unreasonable expectations on Anders, and by default Wren. Still, Anders and Wren each respectively handled their part very poorly. Until the end when everything is wrapped in a neat bow.
This is the kind of book that will play out better in the Hallmark/Lifetime movie. In book form, none of the characters are likeable much. I won't go over all my reasoning for the entire cast of characters, but I think Scott was the only truly decent person in the book.
Depression
Alcoholism
Possibility of Suicide
Parental rejection
Cheating
Blended Families
Parental alienation
Morally Grey Choices
Wren is preoccupied with getting over her breakup with Scott by immediately latching on to Anders, the next unavailable male she meets. Anders gives her very little in the way of encouragement, and with few words spoken she is all in. When the twist happens, my first though was that the author had run out of reasons to keep them apart and needed to throw in this very specific type of unnecessary drama, which was not handled well at all. This actually took a personal turn because I have witnessed Anders "loss" in real life within my own family, and I saw first hand how a spouse should be treated in this situation. The rules of the marriage change, but that doesn't mean the love or obligation does. Kelly, in her pain, was a real piece of work- putting unreasonable expectations on Anders, and by default Wren. Still, Anders and Wren each respectively handled their part very poorly. Until the end when everything is wrapped in a neat bow.
This is the kind of book that will play out better in the Hallmark/Lifetime movie. In book form, none of the characters are likeable much. I won't go over all my reasoning for the entire cast of characters, but I think Scott was the only truly decent person in the book.
aholderman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
manymerrybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow this story was absolutely beautiful. I HIGHLY recommend. I have seen great reviews for this author and I can finally say I understand them. Definitely more of an emotional read (I cried but what else is new), but a beautiful story. I truly cannot describe how much I loved this and how much I recommend you pick it up!